“We wanted a URL that’s easier to say,” Minneapolis spokesperson Matthew Lindstrom told The Journal. “And only government entities can use the dot gov extension. Anyone can buy a dot us address. A dot gov address more reassurance that it’s an official government site. So it’s about both ease of use and security.”

All Minneapolis employees now have new email addresses with the format “firstname.lastname@minneapolismn.gov.” Both the current web address and email addresses will continue to work indefinitely.